Improvement in portable fences



J. THOMPSON.

' Portable Fence.

No. 54,794. Patented May 15, 1866.

I vz zhgg N. PETERS Phowmm u ner, wnhingmn. 0,1;

UNITED l STATE-S.

PATENT Erica;

JOHN THOMPSON, OF 'WILLIAMSBURG, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN PORTABLE FENCES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JoI-IN THOMPSON, of Williamsburg, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Portable Fence and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and

exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

The presentinvention relates to a novel construction of a fence especially intended for farm and garden uses, although it can be employed with great advantage for other and various purposes; and it consists in constructing the fence in separate sections or parts in such a, manner and in so connecting them together or to suitable posts that the fence will accommodate-or, in other words, adjust-itself to any irregularities in the surface of the ground which is to be fenced in by it-that is, whether more or less inclined or hillythe peculiar manner of hanging or connecting the several sections of the fence to the posts enabling them to be turned or set at any desired angle or direction with regard to each other, according as thenecessities or circumstances of the case may require.

In accompanying plate of drawings my improved portable fence is illustrated, Figure 1 being an elevation of several sections of the fence, showing them connected or hung to posts, and illustrating the facility with which they adjust or adapt themselves to an inclination of the ground on which they are placed, whether more or less, and their susceptibility of being placed at any angle with regard to each other, from a right or obtuse angle to a straight line Fig. 2, a side elevation of one post, showing a portion of one section of the fencesections hung to it; and Fig. 3, a planer top view of the post and fence-section shown in Fig. 2.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts,

A in the drawings represents one section of a fence made aceording to the present invention, which section is composed of a series of pickets or boards, B, which pickets are of equal lengths and widths, placed parallel to each other at equal distances apart, with their ends in the same line with each other, in which relative positions they are secured with bolts or pivots F by and between two bars, 0 and D, of the two rails E of the fence, placed one upon each side of the said pickets and interseetin g the whole series at right angles to their length, the two rails E being parallel to each other and at a short distance from the several ends of the pickets.

The pickets B turn upon the bolts F, by which they are secured to the rails E, so that if they are swung either to the right or left they can be all closed down upon each other, and thus brought into a compact folded form, or brought into an inclined position with regard to a horizontal plane or line, the several pickets moving together and as one, as well as the rails E, both pickets and rails preservin g their relative positions, the importance of which arrangement and construction of the fence-section is plainly apparent by an inspection of Fig. 1 in the accompanying plate of drawings, as by this swiveling or swinging movement of the pickets the section is enabled to he used upon inclines or rising ground, whether more or less steep, and yet the several pickets of the section always preserve an upright or vertical direction with reference to a horizontal level or plane of the ground-surface.

To each end of the rails E, projecting therefrom in the direction of their length, similar arms G are secured, having an elongated or slotted eye, I), through them, by which eyes the section is hung upon the fixed hooks H of the upright posts I, which rest by their feetJ upon the ground, or can be inserted in the same, it so desired, the hooks H being at the proper points of the posts to accommodate the rail-slotted arms or ends G.

By forming an elongated slot or eye in the rail ends, as above explained, sufficient play is allowed to them upon the hooks for the rails to be inclined either upward or downward in direction, as the nature of the ground may re quire, they also allowing one end of the fencesection to rest upon the ground while the other is hung upon the post-hooks, if such section is to be used as a gate for the passing through ofteams, persons, cattle, &c. The fence-section swings upon the post-hooks as a hinge or joint.

From the above it is plain to be seen that by my improved construction and arrangement of a section of a fence and the manner in which it is hung to the posts a fence is produced susceptible of being used upon ground, whether level or hilly, more orless, and however crooked or angular in direction it may be necessary that the fence should run in order to properly fence in the desired portion of the ground, the fence by being made in sections so constructed as to fold up as desired, being rendered compact and portable, and thus susceptible of being removed with the utmost facility and ease from one place to another, as may be required.

It may be here remarked, in conclusion, that I do not intend to limit myself to the particular form of the slot-ted eyes by which the fencesections are hung to the posts, as the same results can be accomplished by hinging or pivoting the eye-piece to the ends of the rails in such a manner that they can swing thereon according as the rails are more or less inclined in direction. The eyes may be also in the rails themselves, properly strengthening their ends by leather or other suitable band or straps.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The swivel-pickets B and rails G D E, in combination with the slotted eyes G and hooks H, so arranged that the fence will be conformed to any irregularities of the surface and the posts always retained perpendicularlyin position, substantially in the manner herein represented and described.

The above specification of my invention 7 signed by me this 12th day of March, 1866. JOHN THOMPSON.

Witnesses:

M. M. LIVINGSTON, ALBERT W. BROWN. 

